Bird Chattering

[Candybee]

Ever try to explain to a non cat person how your cat makes a soft staccato chattering sound when it is engaged in watching birds play nearby?

Years ago when I first heard it I didn't know what my cat was doing. Was she angry, scared, being aggressive, preparing to fight? Then I noticed she was still as a mouse and very focused on a bird playing outside just beyond the sliding glass door. (She is an indoor cat.) Tail was swishing, whiskers and ears were swiveled forward, and she was in a flat to the ground crouching kitty pose. Totally focused on the bird play going on.

Now I find I look forward to hearing the sound. It makes me think of my cat as a vital being doing what comes instinctually for her. Plus its just fun to watch and listen to her.

But when did cats start making that sound? Is it genetically fixed in their behavior? I wonder how it came about?

 

[rubysmama]

Just a couple weeks ago, I heard my Ruby making that odd chattering noise. Then I spotted a crow up in a tree, and realized, Ruby too saw it, and was intently staring out the window at it.

Below is a link to a TCS articles on Cat Sounds - Feline Vocal Communication

Here's what it says about the "chattering": Chirps and chatters can sometimes be heard when a cat looks at potential prey without being able to reach it. Many owners of inside-only cats hear this sounds while their kitty is bird watching. The sounds are often accompanied by rapid clicking of the teeth.

 

[Candybee]

Yup! That's it exactly. Interesting that its common for indoor cats. Makes me wonder if its a type of 'venting' or 'frustration' release to chatter that way since they can't spring into action?! But how did they learn to do that? There must be some cat gene for it.

 

[Kreatorcat]

The human equivalent is the "tisk tisk tisk tisk" sound an adult makes to a child when disapproving. I have been using this sound forever to get a cats attention. Always works. They will stop what they are doing,and usually come to me. In big cats it's called chuffing.